Snail Mail’s newest song, “Pristine,” is a feisty, finger-to-chest showdown. At 18-years-old, Lindsey Jordan is equipped with a sparkle in her eye that is at once sassy and sincere. Lush, Jordan’s debut album as Snail Mail, is set for release on June 8 on Matador Records, and is a smoldering document of the messiness and defiance of youth.
“Pristine” confronts two almost universally shared experiences among us: suburban teenage blues and unrequited love. Atop broody guitar strums, Jordan’s clear and punching vocals flit between stoic cynicism and unhinged vulnerability. At moments she’s stoic in her resignation: “If it’s not supposed to be / Then I’ll just let it be.” And at others, her tender, aching heart leaks out: “Don’t you like me for me? / Is there any better feeling than coming clean? / And I know myself and I’ll never love anyone else.”
Growing pains are romantic to think about in retrospect once they’ve developed a hazy grain that disguises itself as sweet nostalgia. But while they’re happening, they’re just that: painful, dizzying, and absolutely agonizing. Jordan’s crystallizes it flawlessly, both the weariness and electricity alike.
You can listen to “Pristine” above. Lush comes out in June. In the meantime, check out Snail Mail’s tour dates here:
3/21 — Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
4/04 — Athens, GA @ 40 Watt
4/05 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
4/06 — Orlando, FL @ The Abbey
4/07 — Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
4/10 — Austin, TX @ The Scoot Inn
4/11 — San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
4/13 — Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
4/15 — Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
4/17 — West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
4/18 — San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brewing
4/20 — San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
4/22 — Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
4/23 — Flagstaff, AZ @ The Green Room
4/24 — Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
4/26 — Norman, OK @ Norman Music Festival
4/27 — Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz
4/28 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
5/15 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney
5/19 – Leeds, UK @ Brudnell Social Club
5/20 – Manchester, UK @ Vullivers
5/21 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana
5/23 – Belgium, BE @ Witloof Bar
5/24 – Groningen, NE @ Vera
5/26 – Amsterdam, NE @ London Calling
6/27 – Paris, FR @ Villette Sonique
6/5 – Portland, ME @ State Theater
6/6 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
6/7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/9 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Park Brewing
6/12 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
6/13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo
6/14 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
6/15 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Flux
6/16 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
6/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
6/18 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
6/20 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
6/22 – Boise, ID @ Funky Taco
6/23 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
6/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
6/25 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
6/27 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club
6/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
6/29 – Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door
6/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater
7/3 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live
7/6 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
7/7 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s
7/9 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
7/10 – Durham, NC @ Pinhook
7/11 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
7/12 – Baltimore, MD @ The Parkway Theater
7/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
7/15 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
7/16 – Montreal, QC @ L’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle
7/17 – Burlington, VT @ ArtsRiot
7/24 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
7/25 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
7/26 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
7/27 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
7/29 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
